How in the world 31 hours?

[Timber II]

Ok I’m new and pretty dum so here goes….
I’ve made some SS and keibaska but always smoked too hot. Reading here helped me learn that.

Last week shot a deer and made 10 lbs SS and 10 lb Keibasa. 80/20 mix on both and stuffed in 3 lb mahogany fiberous casings.

Smoker is masterbuilt 40’ electric. Have meat probes in 2 logs for IT.
Started at 5 am 140 and progressed up every hour till smoker was at 180 at 9am. Sausage IT was 128 then……sausage made it to 148 by the time I went to bed! Next morning at 5am (24 hrs later). Still at 148! I couldent take it - bumped smoker to 195 and finally got a IT of 160 at 12:30. Over 31 hours later

Help me. I think the smoker was overloaded w 20 lbs. my meat probes read within 5 degrees of the smokers temp digital readout when they are just hanging free in smoker.

The edges got a litttle fat out but the middle is great.

What am I doing wrong and thanks a bunch for reading
Timber

 

[Timber II]

Here’s a few pics
Timber

 

[BGKYSmoker]

YIKES
31 Hours. And low IT of the meat. HMMMMM, Your call

10 pounds is pushing it for the MB.

 

[jimmyinsd]

did you happen to close off your dampers after several hours of smoke? I used to leave them cracked, but now I close them off completely to trap the humidity in the cook chamber with the sausage in hopes of helping the casing as well as providing a more even temp environment to help speed it up and make a more even cook. I also tend to think you likely were crowding it a bit with that much meat in there, but I cant say for sure. I typically shoot for 10-12 pounds in my 40.

 

[Timber II]

Thanks for helping - damper was 1/2 for the first few hours, then I had them almost closed, but still cracked the remainder of the time.
IInternal Temp was over 140 after 7 or so hours. Do you think it’s safe? Me and the dogs ate some with no I’ll effects.
Timber

 

[zwiller]

Agree so far: too much product, and close dampers after color looks good. From here another trick is to let product come up to room temp (provided cure was used). I do an overnight hang in the basement. From here, I have had MUCH better luck with Auber PID keeping the temps from swinging too far and keep IT climbing. The whole issue is evaporative cooling.

 

[Timber II]

Yes cure was used .5 oz in each batch.
So I can hang to room temp next time
Thanks

 

[indaswamp]

First, your meat is safe to eat. You basically pasteurized it.

Second, No need to ever smoke a sausage to 160*F, especially a summer sausage.

You don't mention your process, but did you ferment the summer sausage or add acid in the form of ECA, buttermilk or Fermento? If so, then you could have smoked the summer sausage to an even lower temp. and still be safe.

Keep in mind too that smoking the summer sausage for that long, you also dried them out...probably at least 15% water loss.

 

[indaswamp]

I agree with Rick. When I had my MB smoker, 12.5# was the absolute MAX. volume of sausages I could smoke....and it took forever......

 

[Timber II]

Ok man I’m learning a lot! Yes in the summer sausage I used fermento and let it ferment 48 hrs in fridge. It’s a steve rinella / MeatEater recipe.

Now the keibaska nothing like that was used - so I still need 160 IT right?
Appreciate the help boys
Timber

 

[indaswamp]

Now the keibaska nothing like that was used - so I still need 160 IT right?
Appreciate the help boys

This is from the USDA pasteurization charts. When the sausage internal temp. reaches 136*F and held at that temp. for 30 minutes, the sausage is safe to eat reaching a Log5 reduction in pathogens. Taken to 1.5 hours, the sausage reaches a Log7 reduction in pathogens. It is safe to eat.

So what I do, when the sausage INT reaches 136*F I start a timer. after 1.5 hours, I pull them from the smokehouse and cool with cold water until INT is below 100*F. The INT may rise to between 140-148*F, but it does not matter; the sausage is safe to eat.

If you cook them longer, you will dry them out more .....i.e. lose moisture. and if you raise the smokehouse temp. above about 175-180*F for more than just a temp. spike, you will start melting the fat in the sausage and run the risk of fat out. I personally never run the smokehouse temp. above 165-170...or about 25-30*F above 136*F...

 

[indaswamp]

I go 1.5 hours to account for any cold spots in my smokehouse as all the links will have at least reached a log5 reduction in pathogens.....it's just insurance....

 

[Timber II]

Right on man - wish I found this place sooner!!

 

[indaswamp]

Top of the page on the sausage forum....
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/pasteurization-times-and-temperatures.302750/

 

[SmokinEdge]

All good solid info and replies. I’m wondering though, even if the smoker was overloaded, heat is heat and in cooking that’s horsepower. So the pit temp was very low relative to the set temp. This is more important in a cook than a probe for IT of the meat. A solid read of the actual pit temp is paramount. Also why I’m finishing sausage in SV, it’s way more horsepower and predictable.

 

[Winterrider]

I went against the odds. I did 50# of SS in MES 40 A couple yrs ago. Was 16 hrs on the button. Was pulling them when hit 147°. Was a PITA rotating things around. Never again. I did just do 25# batch about 3 weeks ago, which wasn't bad at all.

 

[Timber II]

I think the smoker temp was very close to what it was set at. After I took the sausages out I left the smoker on and put the probes in there just hanging over the wooden dowel and they were within 5 degrees of each other

 

[SmokinEdge]

I think the smoker temp was very close to what it was set at. After I took the sausages out I left the smoker on and put the probes in there just hanging over the wooden dowel and they were within 5 degrees of each other

That’s after the meat was taken out. With it in you were close to 50* shy of set temp at first, then maybe crept up towards the end to 20 * shy. I don’t believe you were ever close to set temp through the cook in actual internal pit temp.

 

[Timber II]

So what do I do or how do I fix that issue? I could do a small batch and insert one meat probe in a chub and let the other hang?

 

[SmokinEdge]

So what do I do or how do I fix that issue? I could do a small batch and insert one meat probe in a chub and let the other hang?

Yes, always have a probe to show actual pit temp. The machines, pretty much all of them, lie on their digital readings for pit temp. Until you know that pit from experience never trust the built in readout, always have a independent probe showing the actual internal pit temp.